Reports: 10-Month-Old Israeli Hostage, Mother, and Brother Tragically Killed in Bombing; Israel Launches Investigation, States Reuters

Israel Investigates Reports of Family, Including 10-Month-Old, Killed in Hostage Situation

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas to extend the truce in Gaza were disrupted by an unconfirmed claim made by Hamas that a family of Israeli hostages, including a 10-month-old baby, had been killed. Hamas stated that the youngest hostage, baby Kfir Bibas, along with his four-year-old brother Ariel and their mother, were killed in an earlier Israeli bombing. The father, who was also held hostage, was not mentioned in the statement.

Israeli officials are currently investigating the Hamas claim, which is a highly emotive issue in Israel, where this family is among the highest-profile civilian hostages yet to be freed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they are assessing the accuracy of the information and hold Hamas responsible for the safety of all hostages in Gaza.

Relatives of the family had made a special appeal for their freedom after they were not included in the previous group of hostages released on Tuesday. An Israeli official stated that it would be impossible to extend the ceasefire without a commitment to release all women and children hostages. Israel believes that militants still hold enough women and children to potentially prolong the truce by 2-3 days. Egyptian security sources also suggest that a two-day extension is possible.

Hamas has published a list of 15 women and 15 teenage Palestinians to be released from Israeli jails in exchange for the hostages released on Wednesday. The hostages were kidnapped by militants during their raid on Israel on October 7. For the first time, the list includes Palestinian citizens of Israel, as well as residents of the occupied territory.

So far, Gaza militants have released 60 Israeli women and children out of the 240 hostages, as part of the deal that secured the first truce. Additionally, 21 foreigners, primarily Thai farmworkers, were freed under separate parallel agreements. In return, Israel has released 180 Palestinian security detainees, all of whom were women and teenagers.

The initial four-day truce was extended for 48 hours, and Israel has expressed its willingness to prolong it further as long as Hamas releases 10 hostages per day. However, with fewer women and children still in captivity, this may require agreeing to terms that govern the release of Israeli men, which has not happened before.

Negotiators are currently discussing whether Israeli men would be released under different terms than the previous exchange of three Palestinian detainees each for women and children. Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy stated that Israel would consider any serious proposal but declined to provide further details.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to annihilating Hamas once the ceasefire ends. He stated, “There is no way we are not going back to fighting until the end. This is my policy, the entire cabinet stands behind it, the entire government stands behind it, the soldiers stand behind it, the people stand behind it – this is exactly what we will do.”

The recent release of hostages also included those held by Islamic Jihad, a separate militant group. The ability of Hamas to secure the release of hostages held by other factions had been a point of contention in earlier talks.

The truce has provided a temporary respite in a war initiated by Israel to annihilate Hamas following the “Black Shabbat” raid, in which gunmen killed 1,200 people on the Jewish rest day, according to Israel’s tally. The Israeli bombardment has resulted in extensive destruction in Gaza, with over 15,000 confirmed deaths, 40% of whom are children, according to Palestinian health authorities endorsed by the United Nations. Many more individuals are feared to be buried under the rubble, as the Palestinian health ministry reported another 160 bodies recovered during the past 24 hours of the truce, with approximately 6,500 people still missing.

(Note: This article has been rewritten for clarity and length.)